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German military identification and service record book (Militärpaß) of the Imperial German Army, belonging to Paul Schmidt, with the designation Armierungssoldat (soldier assigned to military fortification and construction duties). The document dates from the First World War, bears an apparent 1916 date on the cover and retains subsequent administrative entries extending to 1919.
The Militärpaß was used to record the holder’s military career, including units, assignments, periods of service and changes in administrative status. This example contains handwritten entries, signatures and several official stamps from German military units.
Paul Schmidt was associated with the Armierungstruppen, troops specializing in military fortification, construction and infrastructure work. During the First World War, these units carried out tasks such as building and repairing trenches, preparing defensive and artillery positions, constructing shelters and maintaining military installations and lines of communication. Although they were not necessarily front-line infantry units, they could be employed in areas exposed to enemy fire.
Units documented in the service book include:
The presence of these stamps documents Paul Schmidt’s association with different military units during his service, although the available entries do not allow his complete sequence of assignments to be reconstructed with certainty.
The document retains an official stamp dated 27 July 1916, accompanied by the signature of a Hauptmann (captain), identified as Kompanie-Führer (company commander).
Pages 10–13 also contain several entries dated March and April 1919, after the Armistice of 11 November 1918. These records show that the service book continued to be used after the end of hostilities, possibly in connection with discharge, demobilization or administrative regularization. The precise content of these entries requires further examination.
The Angehörigen-Adressen section contains information relating to the holder’s relatives, together with a reference to his status as an Armierungssoldat.
The book also retains a dental record (Zahnstatus), intended to document the condition of the teeth, missing teeth and any dental replacements or prostheses. No significant clinical entries are apparent on the pages examined.
The inside back cover bears the printer’s identification, Buchdruckerei Reinhold Asch, Bernburg, Allee 27, identifying the printing establishment responsible for producing the form.
The document is historically significant as the service record of a soldier belonging to the fortification troops of the Imperial German Army, a military branch engaged in construction and infrastructure duties during the First World War. The surviving unit stamps, officer’s signature and post-war entries provide evidence of different aspects of his military service and administrative status.
Imperial German Army Militärpaß belonging to Paul Schmidt, Armierungssoldat, First World War, 1916–1919. Associated with the 30. Kompanie, Armierungs-Bataillon Nr. 8, and the 9. Kompanie, 1. Brandenburgisches Landsturm-Bataillon Nr. 8. Contains official stamps of both units, an entry dated 27.07.1916 signed by a Hauptmann, administrative records from March and April 1919, family information and a dental record. Printed by Buchdruckerei Reinhold Asch, Bernburg, Allee 27. Period German military document with original handwritten entries, signatures and stamps.
